Library leadership
The Alabama Public Library Service’s board of directors elected state GOP chair John Wahl as its head, reports AL.com’s Howard Koplowitz. The governor appoints a board member from each of the seven congressional districts. Wahl has been on the library board since 2022.
There have been times in our history I’m sure when a library board election has gone fairly unnoticed and not drawn criticism, but Wahl’s promotion comes at a time when public libraries have become a front in the culture wars.
There are groups such as Clean Up Alabama that say they’re trying to prevent children from having access to sexually explicit material in the libraries. Others, such as the group Read Freely Alabama, accuse the more conservative groups of targeting libraries for books with LGBTQ or racial-justice themes.
Read Freely Alabama released a statement calling Wahl an “anti-library extremist” for aligning with Clean Up Alabama and Moms for Liberty.
Back in January, the library service board voted to split from the American Library Association over how it categorizes sexually explicit material.
Migrant anxieties
Concern over migrant workers from Haiti, who have moved into many places in the country on a temporary federal work program, continue to roil small towns in Alabama.
AL.com’s Mike Cason reports that a couple of local officials in Enterprise tried to tamp down anxieties there through statements similar to that from majors and council members in other cities: They weren’t given personal information about the newcomers, they’ve seen no increase in reported crime, and they have seen misinformation on social media.
Mayor William Cooper acknowledged the possibility for unintended consequences of an influx of people and said he’s communicating with law enforcement, the healthcare community, local school systems and other cities in a similar situation to monitor for problems.
There was a meeting billed as “open to the public” last night at a church in Enterprise to discuss the migrants, although people there told one of our reporters to leave. A flyer advertising the event said it would have a former Trump advisor as a speaker.
Environmental settlement
Warrior Met Coal has agreed to fix a coal slurry impoundment, stop wastewater from polluting a Tuscaloosa County waterway, and pay $250,000 per a settlement with Black Warrior Riverkeeper, reports AL.com’s Margaret Kates.
The wastewater has been leaking into a tributary of Texas Creek, which flows into the Black Warrior River. The environmental group filed a lawsuit in 2022 over 21 leaks it had documented since 2021.
The deal also calls for Warrior Met Coal to place the impoundment in the Alabama Dam Safety Program. That means it’ll face more monitoring and regulation by the local EMA.
The company is reimbursing Black Water Riverkeeper $28,000 in legal fees. The $250,000 is going to the Freshwater Land Trust for a project in that river system.
By the numbers
That’s how many citations and warnings Mobile police issued Tuesday and Wednesday as part of a “Red Light Blitz” focused on traffic-light violations.
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St. Michael vs Mobile Christian Football
Plenty of teams across the state picked up some key victories for what’s bound to be a wild playoff season.
Prattville upset Class 7A No. 4 Hewitt-Trussville at home, Class 5A No. 4 Fairview picked up a key win over No. 10 Priceville and Class 4A No. 1 St. Michael surged past Mobile Christian.
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On Saturday afternoon, the Alabama Crimson Tide will face a very talented Missouri Tigers team in Columbia.
Led by the nation’s leading rusher, this is certainly a challenging game for the Crimson Tide going in, as not only are the Tigers one of the SEC’s top teams, but Missouri also gets this contest as a home 11 a.m. CT kickoff coming off a bye week.
Taking a deeper look at Missouri as well, Eliah Drinkwitz’s Tigers have consistently been among the SEC’s top teams since the 2023 season, and will be looking to continue yet another strong start Saturday with a win over Alabama.
Here is everything you need to know about the Missouri Tigers entering Saturday’s game against Alabama.
Missouri enters Saturday’s contest sitting at an undefeated 5-0 overall this season, while also 1-0 in SEC play. At the moment, Missouri is ranked as the nation’s No. 14 overall team in the latest US LBM Coaches Poll.
Missouri is currently in year six of the Eliah Drinkwitz era where the Tigers own a combined 43-24 record since the 2020 season. Kirby Moore has been the offensive coordinator at Missouri since 2023, while Corey Batoon is in his second season in Columbia on the defensive side of the ball.
Missouri enters Saturday with one of college football’s top offenses averaging 45.2 points per game, a number that ranks No. 7 nationally. The Tigers also rank No. 1 in the SEC with an average of 547.6 total yards per game, as well as tops in rushing at 292, a total that leads the conference by far.
Defensively, the Tigers are allowing only 14.6 points per game to opponents, a number which ranks No. 16 in the FBS, as well as among the lowest in the SEC. Missouri also ranks second in the SEC with only 203.8 total yards allowed per game to opponents, are No. 3 with 141.4 yards allowed through the air, and lead the conference with only 62.4 rushing yards allowed per game.
Missouri’s offense is led by running back Ahmad Hardy, a sophomore who currently leads college football with 730 total rushing yards this season, while also tops in the SEC with nine touchdowns on the ground. The Tigers feature Beau Pribula at quarterback, who is leading the SEC with a 75.9% completion percentage, while Kevin Coleman Jr. leads a talented group of pass catchers.
Lastly, Missouri’s defensive players to know are headlined by the duo of linebacker Josiah Trotter and defensive end Zion Young, both of which are tied for the team lead with six TFL this season. Damon Wilson II is also a prominent name to know entering Saturday, as the junior defensive end leads the Tigers with 3.5 sacks this season.
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The Hewitt-Trussville Huskies (6-1, 3-1) look to get back on track when they travel to Stanley-Jensen Stadium Friday to face the Prattville Lions (3-3, 2-2) in a Class 7A Region 3 matchup.
The Huskies, coming off their first defeat of the season — a 34-12 loss to Thompson — will rely on freshman quarterback Jack Floyd, who threw for 136 yards last week and connected with senior Dylan Cope for their lone touchdown.
The Lions hope to avenge last year’s 49-7 defeat at Hewitt-Trussville, but enter the contest after a 54-28 loss at Vestavia Hills despite solid performances from sophomore quarterback Will McKay (246 yards passing, two TDs) and senior Tristin Blackmon (108 yards rushing, two TDs).
Opening kickoff is set for 7 p.m. CT on Friday, October 10 with a live TV broadcast on NFHS Network.
• WATCH: Hewitt-Trussville vs. Prattville football is streaming live on NFHS Network
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What: Huskies look to rebound from first loss as they travel to face Lions in Region 3 clash
When: Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. CT on Friday, October 10
Where: Stanley-Jensen Stadium | Prattville, Alabama
Watch live: Watch Hewitt-Trussville vs. Prattville live on the NFHS Network
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